1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus capable of being accessed via a network, and an image forming apparatus printing and outputting a file stored in the information processing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, as a main stream, many image forming apparatus has been operated as a multifunctional apparatus having a plurality of functions for, for example, storing image data and transmitting and receiving the image data via a communication line such as a public line and a local area network (LAN), in addition to a copy function for printing and outputting image data read from an original. With the multiple functions, the image forming apparatus accesses from its operation unit a file stored in the information processing apparatus capable of being accessed via an internet to perform printing and outputting from the image forming apparatus.
However, when the image forming apparatus outputs the file stored in the information processing apparatus cable of being accessed via the internet, the image forming apparatus can scarcely acquire the file in a format that can appropriately perform printing and outputting. Generally, the file is provided in a format that can be operated only by a specific application program operated in the information processing apparatus. Thus, it is assumed that, based on a print instruction from the specific application program, image data is converted into a format that can be processed by the image forming apparatus, which is to be a printing and outputting target, using a program referred to as a printer driver, and then transmitted to the image forming apparatus to be printed.
On the other hand, devices including mobile phones and information terminals have been practically used that have a lower performance of a central processing unit (CPU) and a less memory loadage than those of the information processing apparatus represented by conventional personal computers. A system has been realized in which such devices operate the file stored in the information processing apparatus capable of being accessed via the internet to instruct printing and outputting.
In this case, it is not realistic for the mobile phone and the information terminal to convert the file into a format that can perform printing using the printer driver, considering performance of hardware thereof. Thus, the information processing apparatus is requested to convert the file into a format (print data) that can be processed by the image forming apparatus specified as the printing and outputting target, and transmit the converted file to the image forming apparatus to allow the image forming apparatus to perform printing and outputting.
Further, a local area network (LAN) and the internet are connected to each other via the information processing apparatus referred to as a firewall, and connection from the LAN to the internet is allowed. On the other hand, by performing control for, for example, refusing the connection from the internet to the LAN, an unauthorized access from the internet to the LAN is generally prevented.
It is also conceivable that, after a print request is issued by the image forming apparatus to the information processing apparatus connected to the internet, the file is similarly forwarded to another information processing apparatus connected to the internet, and then converted into the format that can be processed by the another image forming apparatus. However, completion of the conversion processing cannot be recognized by the image forming apparatus, which is a print request source, and access from the information processing apparatus storing the converted data to the image forming apparatus is also refused by the above-described firewall. As a method for solving such a problem, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-46601 discusses that the image forming apparatus periodically connects to the information processing apparatus, and if the print data for the image forming apparatus is detected, the image forming apparatus acquires the print data to print it.
However, if an interval of connection from the image forming apparatus to the information processing apparatus is too short, load of the information processing apparatus or the network, which is a connection path, is increased. Further, if the connection interval is long, or if a state continues where the image forming apparatus cannot connect to the information processing apparatus for a long hours due to saving power or troubles, a great amount of print data is stored in the information processing apparatus to tighten a storage region. Furthermore, there is a problem in which when the image forming apparatus can be connected to the information processing apparatus after the image forming apparatus becomes connectable, the print data is delivered all at once, and thus it takes time until desired printing and outputting are performed from the image forming apparatus.